J Jayalalithaa, the general secretary of the AIADMK, got a compliment on Monday from an unexpected source, M K Stalin, the DMK treasurer. The DMK scion told a local newspaper that the poll-bound Tamil Nadu is witnessing a multi-cornered contest because of Jayalalithaa. “The AIADMK has meticulously created a multi-cornered contest. But the actual contest is between the DMK and the AIADMK,” Stalin told the newspaper.
As on Monday, there are five political fronts vying for power in the May 16 Assembly election. The DMDK led by Vijayakanth is yet to reveal its strategy though Tamil Nadu’s Grand Old Man is confident that Captain would cast his lot with the DMK.
The major development on Monday was the declaration by S Ramadoss, founder of the Vanniyar dominated PMK, that his party would not have any kind of alliance with the BJP.”I am not interested in having any kind of relation with the BJP,” said Ramadoss, who is also the father of Anbumani, the party’s Chief Ministerial candidate. The PMK was a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance during the 2014 lok Sabha election. But after the lok Sabha election, papa Ramadoss got upset when his son Anbumani was not included in the Union Cabinet.
The BJP retorted by Monday with Tamilissai Sounderarajan, the gynaecologist-turned-party president making it known that the saffron party too was not interested in having alliance with the PMK. Interestingly, Ramadoss is a general physician who gave up his medical practice long time back in order to help Tamil Nadu.
“There is no possibility of a tie-up with the BJP. Centre’s policies are worse than what it was right after the lok Sabha election. I don’t want any kind of ties with the BJP,” said Ramadoss while speaking to a Tamil news channel. Sonderarajan said the BJP would soon come out with a “unique alliance”. But she declined to elaborate further.
Another development of the day was Karunanidhi’s voice bite to news reporters who approached him at the DMK headquarters on Monday. Dr Kalaignar, as Karunanidhi prefers to be addressed, told the channel reporters that he was confident of DMDK leader Vijayakanth joining the DMK front. “I am hopeful of a tie up between the DMK and the DMDK. However I cannot tell you when. But an announcement may come soon,” said Karunanidhi (93), the oldest “player” in the country’s electoral politics.
The DMK has roped in the Congress and a number of fringe parties as alliance partners. The AIADMK too has finalised seat sharing with almost a dozen parties, most of them hitherto unheard entities. The only front which has taken a concrete shape in Tamil Nadu is the People’s Welfare Front led by the maverick Vaiko. It has the CPI, CPI(M), MDMK and the VCK as constituents. leaders of these parties always travel together and address the media jointly to ensure that they stand united and speak the same “language”.